Conflict in Timișoara between the City Hall and the club where Olympic champion Marian Enache started rowing

This morning, workers of the Timișoara municipality started demolishing the fence at the “Florin Marian Enache” Nautical Base, as well as other structures. Located on the banks of the Bega river, this is the place where rowing began, the one that now gives its name, the Olympic champion from Paris in the double rowing event with Andrei Cornea.

The city hall transmitted in an official announcement that “will set up a new basketball court and alleys on the Begăi bank, on land owned by the Municipality. The intervention is part of the municipality's program to recover public spaces and expand areas dedicated to sports for all“.

It also indicates in the same message that the arrangements and changes were discussed with the club's representatives starting last spring “to correlate the interventions with the sports activities carried out in the area”.

The reaction of the Bega School Sports Club: “Another sad day for Timisoara rowing”

On the other hand, in an extended statement, the Bega School Sports Club claims the opposite. “The base is at a critical juncture. Thursday will be another sad day for Timisoara rowing. The mayor's emissaries intend to demolish the fence surrounding the base under the pretext that the land belongs to them. This approach is part of a larger initiative to recover and return to the public heritage the lands on the banks of the Begăi”, notes the club.

“In the current context, Mr. Mayor (no Dominic Fritz) is no longer a protector of the public interest, but only an individual taker – although in reality, those who are already losing have almost nothing left to offer, apart from professionalism, desire and determination. Demolition of the rowing base fence, even with the best stated intentions, risks damaging the sporting community and the hard-earned heritage of generations“, the press release states.

It is also stated that during the previous day, the director of the club, Gheorghe Bîndariuwas on the spot and held a discussion with the representatives of the City Hall, requesting clarifications related to the concrete plan and the project that would justify the demolition of the fence. “The answer received was a vague one: with a simple gesture of the hand it was indicated that there would be an alley here“.

The club claims the absence of clear explanations, as well as documentation and a strategy that was brought to their attention. “Just an intention expressed informally and verbally, with the potential to profoundly affect a functioning sports base and a community that has built performance over time,” it added.

What the club says: “The training conditions were extremely difficult”

The representatives of the Bega School Sports club lament the tough situation facing the base, as well as other similar structures in Timișoara: lack of funds, difficult training conditions, the need to protect the infrastructure.

“Before the 2022 renovation, the training conditions were extremely difficult: the building had almost no roof and windows, there were toilets in the yard, and the athletes used only one ergometer, facing difficulties that today seem hard to imagine”, the situation is described.

“Renovated through major mobilizations, through the sustained efforts of parents, teachers, ISJ Timiș and MEC, the base has gone from unsanitary conditions to acceptable facilities, obtained with modest budgets. Currently, the athletes benefit from multiple facilities and an important number of rowing boats, the value of which can reach tens of thousands of euros, and their correct storage is essential for the integrity of the equipment”, states the club, adding that the effort is exposed to an unstable situation by the absence of the fence that delimits and protects the base. Fence which, however, no longer exists.

And from the mayor's office, there is talk of creating new facilities with free access. “Today, the municipality started dismantling several unauthorized constructions, such as concrete fences and metal elements. The land – an area of ​​over 3,600 square meters – belongs to the Municipality of Timișoara. Activities will continue with the redevelopment of the old basketball court, so that children, young people and sports enthusiasts can use the space without restrictions and costs. At the same time, the public lighting system will be improved, and the area will be completed with pedestrian alleys that will improve the connection with the Begăi bank“, the press release states.